Understanding the impact of content on SEO
Too high bounce rate is a negative signal for Google Search. The idea is widespread among SEO consultants and web editors. Is this another myth of SEO? What is certain is that in SEO there are no replies to two variables, TRUE or FALSE.
It a month ago I read an interesting exchange in a forum of Google. A Top Contributor explained perfectly the importance of the web content for users, so for the position of a website in search engine. Some of them are very good teachers. They give their time for free to help webmasters improve the SEO of their website.
The content is something fundamental in SEO. I say since 2009. When I started the SEO web agency, I saw SEO duplicate content at all-will. The importance of content can not be the same as today was, but I realized that something was wrong. I understood that we could optimize the SEO and it certainly was not in the facility.
The Top Contributor in question is StevieD_Web. He came to help a webmaster bothered by lower traffic continues following an update of Google Panda. According StevieD_Web it was not worth mentioning the "bounce" of visitors to its site.
The content is fundamental.
Bounce rate does not define the quality of content of a website. This is a partial data. It must indeed know the interaction of visitors with the site and the interaction of visitors with Google Search after leaving the site.
We know, of course, measure the interaction of the visitor with a site, but that can boast of knowing the interaction between the visitor and Google? Conversely, Google would know that the interaction of visitors from its search engine and - according StevieD_Web - nothing on the interaction of visitors with the site.
The search engine can infer information about a site based on visitor behavior, but we can not do like him. In other words we can not take the place of Google to analyze the quality of the content.
StevieD_Web explains how Google Search to webmaster defines the quality of content.
Suppose a site specializing in honey provides information about honey in general. It will be called Mieldeprovence.info - fictitious site. A Google Search user types the query "acacia honey", he finds the site and visit for a period of time, consult the site before leaving. What can we deduce from this visit? Very little. It is possible that this short visit duration relative to the duration of visits means more good. But for Google, deduction and analysis is just beginning ...
1st case: the user is satisfied and does not return to Google Search
The user does not return to Google Search for one hour. The assumption would be that Google was satisfied user of the application that allowed him to find the site Mieldeprovence.info. answers to his questions were found.
2nd case: the user is satisfied and interested in another topic
The user immediately back into Google Search and performs a query for "potato". Google's hypothesis is that the person was satisfied with the results of its first application and the site Mieldeprovence.info provided good answers.
3rd case: the user returns to Google Search and refines its search
The user returns immediately in Google Search and makes a request for honey and digestive wellness. The assumption is that Google, through the website Mieldeprovence.info, users discovered some keywords more to refine the search, so the site was useful to the visitor.
4th case: the user returns to Google Search and blocks the site has already seen
The user immediately back into Google Search and performs a query for "acacia honey". If he refines his request adding "-mieldeprovence.info", we can consider that this is a very bad signal given to the search engine.
You have to understand three things in these four situations:
We can not know a bad bounce because it ignores user actions once it has left a site.
The steady improvement in the content of a site is vital.
We write for users, not for Google Search.